Bill 115 dismantles workplace rights

OpinionNov 26, 2012Waterloo Region Record

Re: Some advice for unhappy teachers — November 22

Joining the Liberal party of Ontario to help elect a new leader — are you kidding?!

In 2003, teachers rallied firmly behind Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals and swung the vote away from the Conservatives. The next two times when the McGuinty Liberals ran for office, teachers supported them, because they had established a peaceful positive working relationship with the education sector. At the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario annual meeting in August 2011, McGuinty addressed the assembly and claimed: “We respect collective bargaining …. we won’t tear up collective agreements.”

This year, he betrayed working people in Ontario, targeting them as the reason why his government is in a difficult deficit situation. He betrayed working people by tearing up the legal collective bargaining process.

Thank you for recognizing that teachers are generous, kind, hard-working and knowledgeable. You forgot an important trait.

Yes, generous teachers spend their own time running extracurricular activities, giving extra help with academics and collecting food for needy families. They give their time to help needy children participate in extra programs and trips. They organize and deliver concerts in the evening. Teachers show a great generosity of spirit that extends far beyond the classroom.

Yes, hard-working teachers devote a lot of time to planning lessons for their students. This requires hours of research and careful thinking to deliver interesting and engaging curriculums. In addition, they plan for and teach individual lessons to students who have particular needs. On top of that there are layers of initiatives for assessment and evaluation that require countless additional hours.

Yes, knowledgeable teachers address the individual academic needs of each student using their years of specialized education, classroom and life experience. They also spend time and effort dealing with the physical and emotional aspects of educating their students.

This is all true. However, you forgot an important trait: integrity. Teachers adhere to a firm set of moral values; they use their consciences to guide them. Teachers show integrity when they protect the rights of all citizens through peaceful protest. Teachers value democratic rights.

Bill 115 will negatively affect all workers in Ontario far beyond this current set of education workers’ collective agreements. Bill 115 dismantles valuable workplace rights. It gives the Minister of Education and the government vast powers to impose working conditions without recourse to the law. By the time the students in our classrooms join the workforce, their rights will be significantly diminished.

Let’s look at the big picture, rather than the one-school-at-a time, one-trip-at-a-time view.

Here’s some advice for the displeased: workers and taxpayers need to protect our rights against this Liberal government. Education workers were the first target. Public sector workers were the second. Private sector workers will be next on the hit list. We can no longer count upon the rights that we currently have.

We must insist that Bill 115 be repealed. So far, not one of the candidates for Liberal leader has promised to repeal the bill. Besides, who could trust them if they did make that promise?

It’s time to find a party that will repeal Bill 115 and protect workers’ rights in Ontario. What will you do to help?

Genny Bittner

chief negotiator

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario — Waterloo

Bill 115 dismantles workplace rights

OpinionNov 26, 2012Waterloo Region Record

Re: Some advice for unhappy teachers — November 22

Joining the Liberal party of Ontario to help elect a new leader — are you kidding?!

In 2003, teachers rallied firmly behind Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals and swung the vote away from the Conservatives. The next two times when the McGuinty Liberals ran for office, teachers supported them, because they had established a peaceful positive working relationship with the education sector. At the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario annual meeting in August 2011, McGuinty addressed the assembly and claimed: “We respect collective bargaining …. we won’t tear up collective agreements.”

This year, he betrayed working people in Ontario, targeting them as the reason why his government is in a difficult deficit situation. He betrayed working people by tearing up the legal collective bargaining process.

Thank you for recognizing that teachers are generous, kind, hard-working and knowledgeable. You forgot an important trait.

Yes, generous teachers spend their own time running extracurricular activities, giving extra help with academics and collecting food for needy families. They give their time to help needy children participate in extra programs and trips. They organize and deliver concerts in the evening. Teachers show a great generosity of spirit that extends far beyond the classroom.

Yes, hard-working teachers devote a lot of time to planning lessons for their students. This requires hours of research and careful thinking to deliver interesting and engaging curriculums. In addition, they plan for and teach individual lessons to students who have particular needs. On top of that there are layers of initiatives for assessment and evaluation that require countless additional hours.

Yes, knowledgeable teachers address the individual academic needs of each student using their years of specialized education, classroom and life experience. They also spend time and effort dealing with the physical and emotional aspects of educating their students.

This is all true. However, you forgot an important trait: integrity. Teachers adhere to a firm set of moral values; they use their consciences to guide them. Teachers show integrity when they protect the rights of all citizens through peaceful protest. Teachers value democratic rights.

Bill 115 will negatively affect all workers in Ontario far beyond this current set of education workers’ collective agreements. Bill 115 dismantles valuable workplace rights. It gives the Minister of Education and the government vast powers to impose working conditions without recourse to the law. By the time the students in our classrooms join the workforce, their rights will be significantly diminished.

Let’s look at the big picture, rather than the one-school-at-a time, one-trip-at-a-time view.

Here’s some advice for the displeased: workers and taxpayers need to protect our rights against this Liberal government. Education workers were the first target. Public sector workers were the second. Private sector workers will be next on the hit list. We can no longer count upon the rights that we currently have.

We must insist that Bill 115 be repealed. So far, not one of the candidates for Liberal leader has promised to repeal the bill. Besides, who could trust them if they did make that promise?

It’s time to find a party that will repeal Bill 115 and protect workers’ rights in Ontario. What will you do to help?

Genny Bittner

chief negotiator

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario — Waterloo

Top Stories

Bill 115 dismantles workplace rights

OpinionNov 26, 2012Waterloo Region Record

Re: Some advice for unhappy teachers — November 22

Joining the Liberal party of Ontario to help elect a new leader — are you kidding?!

In 2003, teachers rallied firmly behind Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals and swung the vote away from the Conservatives. The next two times when the McGuinty Liberals ran for office, teachers supported them, because they had established a peaceful positive working relationship with the education sector. At the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario annual meeting in August 2011, McGuinty addressed the assembly and claimed: “We respect collective bargaining …. we won’t tear up collective agreements.”

This year, he betrayed working people in Ontario, targeting them as the reason why his government is in a difficult deficit situation. He betrayed working people by tearing up the legal collective bargaining process.

Thank you for recognizing that teachers are generous, kind, hard-working and knowledgeable. You forgot an important trait.

Yes, generous teachers spend their own time running extracurricular activities, giving extra help with academics and collecting food for needy families. They give their time to help needy children participate in extra programs and trips. They organize and deliver concerts in the evening. Teachers show a great generosity of spirit that extends far beyond the classroom.

Yes, hard-working teachers devote a lot of time to planning lessons for their students. This requires hours of research and careful thinking to deliver interesting and engaging curriculums. In addition, they plan for and teach individual lessons to students who have particular needs. On top of that there are layers of initiatives for assessment and evaluation that require countless additional hours.

Yes, knowledgeable teachers address the individual academic needs of each student using their years of specialized education, classroom and life experience. They also spend time and effort dealing with the physical and emotional aspects of educating their students.

This is all true. However, you forgot an important trait: integrity. Teachers adhere to a firm set of moral values; they use their consciences to guide them. Teachers show integrity when they protect the rights of all citizens through peaceful protest. Teachers value democratic rights.

Bill 115 will negatively affect all workers in Ontario far beyond this current set of education workers’ collective agreements. Bill 115 dismantles valuable workplace rights. It gives the Minister of Education and the government vast powers to impose working conditions without recourse to the law. By the time the students in our classrooms join the workforce, their rights will be significantly diminished.

Let’s look at the big picture, rather than the one-school-at-a time, one-trip-at-a-time view.

Here’s some advice for the displeased: workers and taxpayers need to protect our rights against this Liberal government. Education workers were the first target. Public sector workers were the second. Private sector workers will be next on the hit list. We can no longer count upon the rights that we currently have.

We must insist that Bill 115 be repealed. So far, not one of the candidates for Liberal leader has promised to repeal the bill. Besides, who could trust them if they did make that promise?

It’s time to find a party that will repeal Bill 115 and protect workers’ rights in Ontario. What will you do to help?